With steak, sautéed peppers/mushrooms/onions, and cheese, these sandwiches are a spin-off of classic Philly-style cheesesteak sandwiches. However, they take on a completely new flair by being packaged in Greek phyllo dough. They’re baked until the phyllo is golden and crispy, and the end product actually looks similar to Chinese eggrolls. They’ve got something for everyone…

Preheat the oven to 400F; allow the phyllo dough to come to room temperature. Heat the oil in a large pan (with a lid) on medium-high and add the mushrooms; sauté for ~5 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally. Stir in the peppers and onions, put the lid on the pan, and sauté for ~5 more minutes (stirring occasionally to make sure that the veggies don’t burn; if necessary, you can add a splash of water). Turn the heat up to high and push the veggies to one half of the pan; add the meat and let it sauté separate from the veggies (the meat should only take ~3 minutes to brown since it’s cut so thinly). Once the meat has browned, stir it into the veggies; turn the pan off and set the meat and veggies aside to cool slightly.

Mushrooms Cook Up Better if They're in the Pan Alone At First

Adding the Peppers and Onions to the Mushrooms

Push the Veggies to One Side to Brown the Meat

Each sandwich will contain 4 phyllo sheets; make sure to use a damp towel to cover the phyllo that you’re not working with. Lay a sheet of phyllo down and lightly spray it with cooking spray; put another sheet on top of it and lightly spray it; continue two more times until you have a stack of 4 phyllo sheets. Place the cheese (~.5 oz per sandwich) across the center of the prepared phyllo; if you’re using spinach, place a few leaves on top of the cheese; spoon ~3 TB of the steak and veggies onto the spinach. Fold the long sides over the filling, and then fold one end over the middle and roll it into what looks like a large eggroll. Repeat this until all sandwiches are rolled.

Preparing the Filling

Folding the Long Sides

Rolling Over One End

Line the sandwiches up seam side down on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Lightly spray each sandwich with cooking spray and if using sesame seeds, sprinkle them on top. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

One of my husband’s all-time favorite desserts are cream puffs (who doesn’t love light-as-air pastries filled with creamy goodness and iced with chocolate?). I originally thought up this recipe for a party at a friend’s house, and everyone loved it (they compared it with cream puffs or eclairs)…my friend has been making it ever since! These light cream puffs are delicately airy, and just sweet enough to satiate your sweet tooth. But don’t worry, they’re delicious enough to keep you away from real cream puffs. 😉

Mix together the brown sugar and cornstarch in a pot; once combined wisk in the milk; place over medium heat and bring to a boil (takes ~10 minutes), stirring frequently. Once the milk mixture reaches a boil, boil for ~2 minutes, stirring constantly, and then shut off the heat. Add the vanilla and butter and allow to cool completely in the fridge. Once the milk mixture is chilled, it will look like custard; at this point, fold in the Cool Whip.

Heating the Milk Mixture

Custard-Like Consistency After Chilling

Light and Fluffy After Folding in the Cool Whip

Peanut Butter Cream

2 TB natural unsweetened almond butter

2 TB creamy peanut butter

3 oz Cool Whip Free

Wisk the almond and peanut butters together, then wisk in the Cool Whip ~2 Tb at a time.

Peanut Butter Cream

Chocolate Cream

3 TB semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 oz Cool Whip Free

Melt the chocolate chips (either using a double boiler or a microwave), and wisk in the Cool Whip ~2 TB at a time.

Mixing the Melted Chocolate and Cool Whip

Chocolate Cream

Phyllo Cups (aka the puff-less puff)

6 squares phyllo dough

Cooking spray

Muffin tin

Preheat the oven to 350F. Allow the phyllo dough to come to room temperature. When you’re working with the phyllo, make sure to use a damp towel to cover the dough that you’re not working with (so it won’t dry out). Lay 1 sheet of phyllo down and lightly spray it with cooking spray; place another sheet on top and lightly spray it; place a 3rd sheet on top and cut the dough into 6 equal pieces; repeat this process one time. Place each piece of phyllo into individual muffin tins; bake for ~8 minutes, or until golden brown; allow to cool.

Preparing the Phyllo Cups

Phyllo Arranged in a Muffin Tin

Crispy and Golden After Baking

To Assemble: Place a spoonful of peanut butter cream (~1 TB) in the bottom of each phyllo shell, place vanilla cream (~1/4 c) on top of peanut butter cream, and decorate the top with chocolate cream (~1 TB). Note: You will have between 1/2 c – 1 c of vanilla cream leftover (it’s great eaten alone or as a topping for berries).